Committee plans to spring into action for Clearlake cleanup day

CLEARLAKE -- Teams of trash pickers will sweep through Clearlake during the city's cleanup event April 27.

About 15 organizers met Friday morning at Clearlake City Hall, located at 14050 Olympic Drive, to discuss the annual event.

"It's just one of those things where we really have to put our heads together, it's only four hours long," Public Works Director Doug Herren said. "This is just a small part, but it's a part."

Volunteers will meet at Austin Park, located at 14077 Lakeshore Drive, and will be shuttled to their designated cleanup sites in teams.

Groups will visit areas, including Old Highway 53, parts of Olympic Drive, city parks and schools from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

People can also form a volunteer team to clean a specific area by calling ahead of time for approval.

"Our biggest goal is to clean up the community, especially the lake," Herren said.

Clearlake Police Department (CPD), Lake County Fire Protection District and Clearlake Public Works personnel participate in the event to provide supplies and transportation.

Herren said they also plan to restripe the parking lot outside of city hall.

When it comes to cleaning, "Clearlake puts the rest of the county to shame," Clear Lake Advisory Committee (CLAC) member Betsy Cawn said.

There will also be an e-waste bin to collect electronic devices including televisions, computers and cell phones. People can drop off the electronics they no longer use, which often times require special disposal, C and S Waste Solutions Outreach Coordinator Andrea Rios said.

Volunteers will be given bags and necessary tools, which include shovels, rakes and pickers, as well as orange safety vests.

Herren said teams will pick up road trash as well as clean out dirt from gutters.

Aside from a cleaner Clearlake, the event also gives the city extra credit to meet goals set by the California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), which brings together the state's recycling and waste management programs.

He also announced the event now has a food permit and plans to serve hot dogs to volunteers. Last year, 168 people participated, and Herren said now that schools are directly involved with the event, he expects more than 200.

"It's really neat to see the smiles on faces, everyone is happy to see a cleaned up Lakeshore Drive with no debris, no nothing," Herren said.

People interested in volunteering should sign up in advanced by contacting Melissa Swanson at 994-8201.

Berenice?Quirino?is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. She can be reached at 263-5636, ext. 36 or at bereniceq@record-bee.com.